Dear colleagues,
Nearly all countries in the world are in the hand of the pandemic Corona-Virus / Corvid-19. Depending on the infection status of your country your government has already installed certain precautions to reduce the speed of the infection. They have to be respected.
In the past days WRO received some questions about rendering in Corona times and the infectivity of raw material. We want to give you as best as we can some answers in this turbulent time.
1) Rendering – will this be stopped?
The Corona pandemic is a human epidemic, that means the spread and the development is due to human-to-human transmission. Therefore many countries asked the people to stay at home, to avoid any meetings or socialising. In some areas at high risk it is already forbidden to leave the house unless you go to work, to the doctor / pharmacy or to buy food. It is a blockade of unnecessary private movements.
In all crises scenarios the critical infrastructure has to be maintained. Like the production and distribution of energy and water the production and supply of food are acknowledged as system relevant. This includes the farmers, the food and feed industry, slaughterhouses / meat processors and retailers. Renderers are part of that food producing chain.
Rendering is not only the production of proteins and fats for feed or industrial uses. It is also the collection of highly perishable, quickly biodegrading raw material. No collection or an uncontrolled disposal might be the cause of unwanted zoonoses which can then lead to another additional pandemic spread by human and animals. This scenario is even worse. Competent veterinary authorities are well aware about this.
Therefore WRO has not heard that rendering was stopped due to the Corona crisis.
Our recommendation:
Provide the information of being system relevant to your competent authority in time to keep your plant running.
In case of a blockade of private movements prepare and provide the necessary documents in agreement with the competent authority that your employees belong to the system relevant infrastructure. This guarantees that they can come to work.
Cooperate with other associations of the whole meat-chain e.g. farmers, feed, grains (soy, corn, ...), slaughterhouses and butchers, meat processors, fish, leather, gelatine, etc. manifesting to your country’s authorities that all actors must be operational to have the Food Security guaranteed
If feasible, include supermarket associations to this cooperation
2) Is there a risk of infection via the raw material or products?
Many employees working in collection or production or even customers of our products might be worried whether there is a risk of transmitting Corona via animal material, either raw or processed.
WRO can answer this question only by consulting the relevant websites of the World Organisation of Animal Health, OIE, the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations, FAO and the World Health Organisation, WHO.
Their answers by March 23rd are
The predominant route of transmission of COVID-19 appears to be from human to human.
Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that are common in animals. Occasionally, people
get infected with these viruses which may then spread to other people. For example, SARS- CoV was associated with civet cats and MERS-CoV is transmitted by dromedary camels. Possible animal sources of COVID-19 have not yet been confirmed.
Any unusual morbidity or mortality of animals should be reported to the animal health authorities.
Based on currently available information, trade restrictions are not recommended.
As per general good food safety practices to protect yourself, such as when visiting live animal markets, avoid direct contact with animals and surfaces in contact with animals.
Ensure good food safety practices at all times. Handle raw meat, milk or animal organs with care to avoid contamination of uncooked foods and avoid consuming raw or undercooked animal products.
Meat from healthy livestock that is cooked thoroughly remains safe to eat.
While there has been one instance of a dog being infected in Hong Kong, to date, there is no
evidence that a dog, cat or any pet can transmit COVID-19. COVID-19 is mainly spread
through droplets produced when an infected person coughs, sneezes, or speaks.
There is no evidence to support restrictions to movement or trade of companion animals.
As a general practice, when caring for any kind of animals, always wash your hands before
and after you interact with them. Avoid kissing, licking or sharing food.
WHO continues to monitor the latest research on this and other COVID-19 topics and will update as new findings are available.
But as times and knowledge change very quickly: please keep yourself updated.
So finally the three world organisations say that due to the experience with other corona infections an animal source is possible but so far no infection route is found or confirmed. Even pets, which live in very close contact with humans, are considered as safe. The named standard safety requirements about raw meat are typical for a world organisation as insanitary handling of raw meat, milk and eggs can be indeed a source of severe diseases.
What does this mean for renderers?
All staff in a rendering plant, from the truck driver to the maintenance keeper is educated in hygiene, microbiological quality standard and safety especially in those countries where dead stock collection is part of the rendering business. Disinfection is commonly used. Therefore we see no need for additional efforts regarding corona, except maybe a renewed instruction in hygiene standards. This can – if necessary - be updated on the hygiene rules given by national authorities.
If an additional disinfection routine is required, the disinfectant should be virucidal, that means it should contain an antiviral agent.
We attach a publication on Corona disinfectants to his email.
3) Are the rendered products safe?
The Corona virus is not very thermostable. It is killed in between a few minutes at 50-70 °C. That means also an unintended infection of the raw material does not pose any risk.
Our recommendation:
Despite this information from the world bodies, many countries might not react rational especially with regard to international trade. Please use these given arguments. If you face restrictions due to the Corona outbreak, please inform us about this.
Keep yourself updated by e.g. the following web pages:
https://www.who.int/health-topics/coronavirus gives you all information including a dash board of the current cases,
https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/advice-for-public/myth-busters Corona virus myth busters, very well made
https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/advice-for-public Coronavirus disease advice for the public
https://www.oie.int/en/for-the-media/press-releases/detail/article/covid-19-and-veterinary- activities-designated-as-essential/
http://www.fao.org/2019-ncov/en/
https://www.bfr.bund.de/en/can_the_new_type_of_coronavirus_be_transmitted_via_food_and_ob jects_-244090.html The German authority for risk assessment, page available in English
International pages are also available in French, Spanish, sometimes in Russian, Chinese and Arabic.
WRO reminds you to take the national Corona restrictions seriously and to prepare yourself for the upcoming scenario. Keep your staff informed that their work is as system relevant as power stations, doctors and nurses in the hospitals or fire brigades. We are part of the whole food chain and guarantee the safe supply of animal products like meat, milk and eggs as well as safe feed. An updated instruction on hygiene is a good tool for building trust inside your team and towards customers. Communicate that our work itself, i.e. the processing and collection of raw material as well as the distribution and use of our product is safe. Any restrictions should be argued with the above mentioned points from WHO, OIE and FAO.
WRO wish you good luck, trust and faith for you, your families and colleagues in these uncertain times.
Dr. Martin Alm WRO President
